Easy Living (Peter Miyakawa & Orso Miyakawa, 2019): Italy

Review by Christiana Leonardo. Viewed at the Santa Barbara international Film Festival 2020.

I have just begun my study abroad journey in Florence as I reflect on my favourite film of SBIFF this 2020 and feel very close to the core values of this film. Made by Italian filmmaker brothers, Easy Living is set in Ventimiglia, the coastal boarder town of Italy and France. A contraband smuggling sister, and her young step brother, befriend an American Tennis instructor and an immigrant trying to illegally cross to France to be with his pregnant wife. The unlikely friendship that bonds between the four is portrayed in a frank, funny and in-depth style. The story shows sides of the true fluidity of boarders. With quite kitschy cinematography, and expert editing, the impeccable comedic timing and morals reads across cultures and languages. Fitting it’s category at SBIFF, Easy Living, quite gracefully, Crosses Borders.